Sage Freke is a powerful Magician who has devoted his life to studying the Soul Arts: dark Magic born from the Old One’s presence. Freke has a long-standing friendship with Geri, who crafted much of his equipment, including Geri's Stiletto and the Ring of Magical Sharpness. He also has a long-standing rivalry with Saint Urbain, due to his assertion that the "God" Urbain and his followers worship is actually a romanticized depiction of the Old One.

Freke is one of the two advanced Magic teachers, and perhaps the most "woke" NPC in the game. He has much to teach about the hidden lore of the game. Strangely enough, he, and not Urbain or Yuria, is present in the end credits after choosing a certain ending.

Strategies for Fighting

Sage Freke is rather easy to fight due to his predictable attack patterns and tendency to use up MP quickly. When hostile, he will first cast Warding, then slowly walk towards you, casting Soul Ray repeatedly. Soul Ray can be a threat if you have low Magic defense, but generally takes a few hits to do significant damage and is easy to dodge regardless. Eventually Freke will switch to Poison Cloud, and keep using it until you are poisoned. If you cure the poisoning, Freke usually won't attempt to infect you again.

If you move out of sight but stay locked on to Freke, he will cast Homing Soul Arrow and follow you. Be wary of this Spell; it has the potential to one-shot players if all five orbs connect. If you move out of Freke's sight and aren't locked on, he will likely cast Homing Soul Arrow anyway, but there's a chance he will re-cast Warding instead.

Though he may take extended breaks from casting Spells and attempt to melee you with the Baby's Nail, Freke never truly runs out of MP. He will appear to run out of MP, stop casting Spells for a time, then resume casting anywhere from ten to thirty seconds later. However, he won't cast as many as when he first became hostile.

A solid strategy is to ambush Freke with either God's Wrath or Firestorm, if you have them. Unlike Yuria, Freke is slow to react to a surprise attack, and if given the opportunity will cast Warding rather than an offensive spell.

If the player infects Freke with Poison Cloud or Death Cloud, he will eventually die without ever becoming hostile.

Additional Character Information

Taken from Atlus (demons-souls.com)

Sage Freke
A renowned Magician, known as the Visionary. He is familiar with the workings of Souls, and has organized his findings in a scholarly manner. He is the sage of Yormedaar, and entered Boletaria by himself, though he is past middle age. It's said that he was once a high-ranking priest, but the details are murky. He is friends with Geri, a man known for his magical craftwork.

The names Geri and Freke could be adopted from Norse Mythology. Odin was flanked on his throne by a pair of wolves named Geri and Freki.

Dialogue

Oh, human, are you?
I am Freke. I have been trapped here for ages.
Perhaps you could help me get out of here?
I am a sage, and I can lend you my power in return.
Oh, take heed of those octopus-headed guards!

When rescued

Magnificent. I never expected to get out of there alive.
My name is Freke, I am known as a Sage.
I thought my magic would give me an edge against these Demons, but how wrong I was…
I have been enfeebled by my long imprisonment.
But I can still move my legs, and I can make it back to the Nexus.
I thank the stars that I escaped when I did.
I owe you my life.

Nexus (mag below 10)

Hello. You assisted me in Latria. For that I thank you.
But at my age, I do not believe that I can be of help to you.

Nexus (mag above 10)

Hmm… I have a proposal for you.
Could you bring your Demon Souls to me?
As I determine more about the essence of the soul, I can teach you new magic.
A Demon's soul is no mere amalgamation of lesser souls.
You have your wits about you; surely you understand me?

Do you have a connection to the disciples?
Do not pay attention to them if they speak poorly of me and my magic.
Prayer is for the foolish, quaint, and soon-to-be dead.
And heaven forbid the day you find out what their so-called God really is…

I was defeated and captured by the golden elder beyond that dungeon.
Beware of him, for he manipulates souls.
He has power over dark souls, those susceptible to madness and paranoia.

I know of three human leaders who became Demons.
King Allant of Boletaria,
Astraea of the Valley of Defilement,
and the golden elder of Latria.
They have proven that humans can evolve to a higher state.
We were wrong to assume that only Demons could do demon work.

Greeting with Demon soul

Bravo! Thank you for offering your Demon souls!
I cannot express my gratitude.
To have my wish granted at so late an age…!
Thank you. You are a fine magician.
As promised, let me teach you new magic.

Bravo! You have brought more Demon souls to me!
Thank you. You are a fine magician. Let me pass on further arts of the wand.
…I am one step closer to the essence of the Demon soul…
…Our human potential is great…

After talking to Yuria

That witch Yuria is quite a compelling woman.
She uses a different type of magic than I.
Hers is powered by emotion; a lesser type of miracle.
I wonder if it is related to her gender?
I still have much to learn…

After ?

As you know, magic is one of the soul arts.
The scourge of Boletaria has activated all souls, and energized all magic.
Perhaps, then, we should work to preserve this state of heightened reality?
No, no, heaven forbid. The Demons steal souls, and with them, our sanity.
Such blasphemy must not be permitted.

After all archdemons are dead (seal is opened)

Why, you have defeated all the demons, have you not?
This ghastly howl. The Monumental has spoken of it before…
There is a question I have long had in my mind
It is whether we are right to banish the Old One
And I now have the answer, and it is a resounding no.
Listen closely. The Old One must not be cut off from us.
If the candle maiden tries to entrap it, kill her.
Then Absorb the souls of the Old One for yourself.
The Old one is an unfathomable deposit of energy, it contains all the souls collected by the Demons
You will gain the power of a King, and I will gain knowledge from beyond.
And that, my dear friend, is the righteous path. You must not allow trifling matters to dissuade you.
The Demon souls shall be ours!
If truth be told, that woman has been tainted by Demons herself.
She would thank you in her death for relieving her…agony.

Leaving without transaction

I am fully prepared. Please fetch more Demon Souls.
I can still be patient, my fine magician friend!